Both sides have the same strength: Controlling the line of scrimmage, and by extension, the running game. The Golden Panthers' rush offense is ranked 28th nationally, gaining 189.2 yards per game. Toledo's run defense? It's also the 28th-best, surrendering just 130.6. The game may hinge on FIU's ability to block senior Archie Donald, Toledo's second-team all-conference linebacker.

FIU DEFENSE VS. TOLEDO OFFENSE

EDGE: FIU

With all due respect to T.Y. Hilton, Toledo's Eric Page is probably the best player on the field. But the Rockets' offense has a problem. It doesn't have much anything else. Page has accounted for 26.6 percent of Toledo's 4,314 yards of offensive output. Expect FIU, statistically the Sun Belt's top defense, to stick all-conference corner Anthony Gaitor on Page, and then pressure freshman quarterback Terrance Owens into making bad decisions.

SPECIAL TEAMS

EDGE: FIU

In the return game, Page - named first-team All-American by several publications - and Hilton, the Sun Belt player of the year, are essentially a wash. Both are outstanding. But if it comes down to a game-winning field goal, the Panthers have to like their chances. FIU kicker Jack Griffin has made 15 of 18 FG attempts this year, with a long of 50 yards. Toledo's combination of Bill Claus and Ryan Casano has missed 8 of 13 tries.

COACHING

EDGE: PUSH

For FIU coach Mario Cristobal and Toledo's Tim Beckman, this is all brand new. Both are bowl newbies, at least in the top job. Combined, they have just six seasons of head coaching experience after spending decades as assistants. Cristobal is an offensive guy, while Beckman's specialty is defense. He was a three-time nominee for the Frank Broyles Award, which goes to the nation's top assistant coach, while the defensive coordinator at Bowling Green.

INTANGIBLES

EDGE: TOLEDO

With Ford Field just 63 miles from campus, the Rockets could only have more of a homefield advantage if the game were played at the Glass Bowl. Expect Toledo fans to outnumber FIU partisans by 10-to-1, at least. And while none of the current Rockets were around for Toledo's last bowl appearance, at least the school has some postseason history. Toledo is 7-3 all-time in bowl games, and played in Detroit three times between 2001 and 2004. This is a first for FIU.

December 23, 2010

The Panthers left for Detroit on a Thursday morning charter flight, with wide receivers coach Frank Ponce firing off this message on Twitter: "SIRENS ARE SOUNDING OFF! HEADED TO THE AIRPORT. GETTING ON "GOLDEN PANTHER ONE" -- DETROIT HERE WE COME."

FIU is expected to arrive in Detroit early afternoon, then attend a 2 p.m. press conference ahead of its first practice on Ford Field.

I'll be joining the team up in Michigan on Saturday, but if I get any photos/stories from the frozen north, I'll happily pass them along.

FIU coach Mario Cristobal addressed a small group of reporters, Tuesday afternoon, in FIU's last home news conference before leaving to frigid Detroit on Thursday. Cristobal was all business, taking the podium a few minutes before the scheduled 2 p.m. start time.

Cristobal started off speaking about how excited the team is about playing in it's first bowl game ever and about all the preparations the Panthers have had to make before leaving. The weather in Detroit was a mild (by Detroit standards) 27 degrees on Tuesday night, so there is no doubt in my mind there have been many trips to buy coats.

"They are going to see snow. It's going to be colder than the North Pole,'' Cristobal said, about the weather. "We intend on spending most of our time either practicing or watching film. There are a couple of events we have to go to. I think the senior leadership we've had this year will shine through as well. This is a business trip."

Luckily for both teams, the game will be played at Ford Field, were game time temps should be in the mid 60-70's (but you should already know that part).

Cristobal touched on many different topics during his 14-minute interview, including recruiting and injuries.

On the injury front, Cristobal expects running back Jeremiah Harden to be play against Toledo."He looked good. Looks just as explosive as before. His legs are more fresh than they were before."

OL Kevin Van Kirk is healthy, but will not play against Toledo.

"We are doing OK on the injury front, everybody is banged up this time of year."

I took some heat from coach for asking him how he felt about Sporting News Magazine predicting Toledo to win the game.

"That might be stuff you focus on, buddy. That's not part of a college regiment or a college football players daily regiment to prepare for a game,'' Cristobal said. "Quite frankly, I've been in games as a player and coach and I've never seen a game won on paper the day before. Our guys are excited about a great challenge. They are a great football team. They were one game away from winning the MAC Championship. And that's what we know. And that's what we focus on. Everything else is and will always be irrelevant."

On the recruiting, "Doors have opened to a higher level student athlete. We expect to have by far the best recruiting class we've ever had," Cristobal said.

I went on to ask coach if the coaching change at Miami has affected FIU on the local stage.

"I don't think that effects it. South Florida and the state of Florida in general is always going to be saturated with recruiters. We are one of the states that has spring ball. The opportunity to play football almost year around. We have good weather. Football players develop here maybe at a faster rate than maybe in other places. I don't think that job changes, staff continuity here and there really affects too much the big picture. I think if you take care of your business..Recruiting these guys from the time you are allowed to recruit them, it pretty much takes care of itself. Now that being said...there is always some spill over...It doesn't only apply to what happening down the street. It applies to other universities that typically recruit down here and that there may be some changes taking place."

December 20, 2010

FIU returned to the practice field Monday to finalize preparation for Sunday's Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. While the majority of Monday's session was dedicated to Toledo, there was time for a little fun late in the workout. Thanks to the 15 extra practices afforded to FIU as a bowl team, the Panthers held their second Scout Bowl of the fall - with the result the same as first time around. The defense bested the offense, making stops and third-and-fourth-and-1.

Tony Egues, FIU's director of football operations, plans to leave the team after one season with the Golden Panthers. Egues has given the team his notice, but will remain in place through FIU's appearance in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Before joining the Panthers, Egues had spent 19 seasons in the Miami Dolphins' equipment and operations departments.

FIU will leave for Detroit on a chartered flight Thursday morning, and waste no time getting acclimated to Ford Field. The Panthers have a 2 p.m. press conference at the stadium, followed by practice.

December 18, 2010

FIU Women vs. IndianaWhen/Where: Saturday at 4:30 p.m., U.S. Century Bank ArenaTV/Radio: FIUSports.comOf note: The Golden Panthers (5-5) enter the game having lost three of four after winning three straight games in late November. ... FIU last played Wednesday, falling at Florida Gulf Coast 86-71. ... In Indiana (5-5), the Panthers will face their first Big Ten opponent since Nov. 18, 2006, when FIU lost to Iowa 72-62. ... The Hoosiers, who led by Jori Davis (18.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg), on a two-game losing skid.

FIU Men vs. Sam Houston StateWhen: Saturday at 7 p.m.Where: U.S. Century Bank ArenaTV/Radio: FIUSports.comOf note: The Golden Panthers (4-5) return home for the first time since Nov. 27 after losing all four games of their recent road trip. ... FIU last played Sunday, losing at Bowling Green 76-67. ... FIU will for the first time have the services of transfer guard Alex Legion, who was cleared to play Friday. ... The Bearkats (5-3) are the defending Southland Conference champions.

To vote on the 10th Anniversary Football Celebration Top Ten Plays, click here

To vote on the 10th Anniversary Football Celebration Top Ten Plays, click here

The Sun Belt Conference began sponsoring football in 2001 and will celebrate its 10th Anniversary during the 2010 football season. The Sun Belt is one of only 11 NCAA conferences to participate in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Bowl Championship Series (BCS).

10th Anniversary Football Celebration Football Team 11 Offensive Players, 11 Defensive Players, 3 Specialists, one 10th Anniversary Football Celebration Offensive Player, one 10th Anniversary Football Celebration Defensive Player and one 10th Anniversary Football Celebration Coach will be selected by using a school nominated media panel, each institutions head coach and online fan voting. Each school will nominate current or former student-athletes from their institution that played in the Sun Belt Conference from 2001-present. In order to be nominated a player must have received First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors at one point during their career. Fans are limited to one vote per e-mail address.

Top Ten PlaysEach school will be responsible for creating its own list of Top Ten Plays based on their time while a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Each school would be asked send a preliminary list and will then submit their top three plays (as determined by votes from the head coach, Sports Information Director and media representative) to the conference office for a round of fan voting, a vote by the established media panel and a vote by the league head coaches. The list of 27 plays would then be cut to form the Top Ten Plays in the Sun Belt's years of football.

Top Ten MomentsEach school will be responsible for creating its own list of Top Ten Moments based on their time while a member of the Sun Belt Conference. Each school would be asked send a preliminary list and will then submit their top three moments (as determined by votes from the head coach, Sports Information Director and media representative) to the conference office for a round of fan voting, a vote by the established media panel and a vote by the league head coaches. The list of 27 moments would then be cut to form the Top Ten Moments in the Sun Belt's years of football.

December 15, 2010

Shortstop Garrett Wittels was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America Preseason All-America Team on Wednesday. As most of you know, Wittels will be looking to extend his 56-game hitting streak this season. Wittels is two games away from tying Robin Venturas' 58-game hitting streak set back in 1987. FIU plays its first regular season game on Feb. 18, 2010 against Southeastern Louisiana at home. For tickets call 305-FIU-GAME

December 14, 2010

The Panthers practiced in the blustery mid-40s Tuesday morning, but that didn't stop Mario Cristobal, a Miami native, from wearing shorts -- although he quickly thought better of it. "If I would have gone back inside and come back out in pants, I would have never heard the end of it from the players,'' Cristobal said.

Safety Marquis Rolle suffered an MCL sprain in FIU's regular-season-ending loss to Middle Tennessee, but coaches are optimistic he will play in the bowl game.

Signing Day for high schoolers isn't until Feb. 2, but FIU hopes to make some recruiting noise Wednesday, when junior college players can make official their intentions to transfer.

December 13, 2010

When/Where: Monday at 7 p.m., Swisher GymnasiumTV/Radio: None.Of note: The Golden Panthers (4-4) return to action for the first time since Dec. 5, when they lost to UCF 74-65. ... Rakia Rodgers leads FIU with 14.3 ppg, while freshman Jerica Coley goes for 13.5 ppg and has a team-best 16 steals. ... Jacksonville (5-2) last played Dec. 4, losing to Florida Gulf Coast 98-47. ... Senior forward Taneskei Richardson recorded her third double-double of the season in the loss.

December 07, 2010

As mentioned Monday, Little Caesars Pizza Bowl tickets are currently on sale through FIU’s Bowl Central page, and are also available on the phone at 305-FIU-GAME and at the FIU Stadium Fieldhouse Monday through Friday.

We’ve heard that some tickets have already moved, but FIU will likely only sell a fraction of the 10,000 made available to the program, at $45 to $60 a pop.

The program is trying to work out more affordable airfare to Detroit, and additional travel packages could be made available in the coming days.

As for questions in the comments section about bowl purses, I'm hearing that all the Sun Belt-affiliated bowls pay out essentially the same, and it goes directly to covering the cost of travel. Far from a windfall for the Panthers.